27 January 2005 Edition

Speller pressed to end SF Housing Executive exclusion

A Sinn Féin delegation led by Housing Spokesperson Councillor Fra McCann MLA
and North Belfast MLA Kathy Stanton met with British direct rule minister
John Speller this week to raise a number of concerns about housing,
including the ongoing exclusion of Sinn Féin representatives from the
Housing Executive. They also raised the impact of the Belfast Metropolitan
Area Plan (BMAP) in failing to address the housing crisis in North and West
Belfast.

"It is unacceptable that in its‚ entire history that there has never been a
single Sinn Féin representative on the Housing Executive board," said Fra
McCann afterwards. "Nationalists deserve effective representation. Sinn Féin
represent the majority of nationalists, particularly in areas where there
are severe housing problems.

"Sinn Féin representation is the only way to ensure that pressing housing
issues such as the overhaul of housing waiting list points allocation
process, the ever increasing gap between need and provision of social
housing, the imbalance in the waiting lists and anti-social tenants are
prioritised. The policy of exclusion must be ended.

"The failure to deliver a adequate supply of social housing means that there
is a failure to allocate housing on the basis of need and thousands of
people are left waiting for unacceptable lengths of time before being
allocated decent housing. There needs to be a radical overhaul of not just
housing policy but also the policy direction of organisations such as the
Housing Executive."